Heart Failure

In a single-center, open-label, blinded end point trial in 101 stable CHF patients (mean age: 64 years; 93% male, left ventricular ejection fraction 35%), with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, out of which 56% had vitamin D deficiency, oral supplementation with vitamin D3 (2000 IU/d) for a period of 6 weeks was found to be associated with increases in 25(OH)D (from 48 nmol/L at baseline to 80 nmol/L), as compared to a decrease in 25(OH)D level (from 47 to 44 nmol/L) in the control group.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is an essential enzyme in the body; however, patients with heart failure have lower levels than healthy persons. A new study suggests that supplements of CoQ10 should be included in standard medical treatment.

Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented at Heart Failure 2013 congress. It is the first drug to improve heart failure mortality in over a decade and should be added to standard treatment, according to lead author Professor Svend Aage Mortensen (Copenhagen, Denmark).

In this systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of coenzyme Q10 in patients with congestive heart failure, supplementation with coenzyme Q10 was found to result in a pooled mean net change of 3.67% in ejection fraction and -0.30 in the NYHA functional subclass for CHF.

Eating fish and taking marine omega-3 fatty acid supplements may help lower risk of heart failure (HF), according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Luc Djoussé of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA and colleagues conducted the study and found risk of heart failure was 40 to 50 percent lower in those who ate fish more often than once a month or had high intake of plasma phospholipid ALA.

A new study in European Journal of Heart Failure suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may help prevent premature death from heart failure. Israel Gotsman of Heart Institute, Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel and colleagues conducted the study and found patients with heart failure were more likely than controls to have vitamin D deficiency.

Medical research shows tai chi can be beneficial for congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, depression and anxiety, but new research shows it may also effect DNA, promoting a longer life, according to an article published in the Chicago Daily Herald and written by Dr. Patrick B. Massey.

An uptick in the body’s defense system may explain why congestive heart failure worsens as temperatures climb. When it’s hotter, inflammation – the body’s response to stress or harm – can increase and lead to more severe symptoms in those who already have the cardiac problem, report researchers. This is the first study to look at the link between temperature and inflammation in those with heart disease and suggests people with congestive heart failure should avoid the heat.

Taking vitamin D supplements may help reduce the risk of dying from heart failure and its complications, according to a new study in the April 2012 issue of European Journal of Heart Failure. The study led by I. Gotsman of Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel and colleagues found men and women who suffered heart failure, but took vitamin D supplements were 32 percent less likely to die from the disease, compared to those who did not take the supplement yet suffered from the disease.